Server Optimization
This page is just for some generalizations that help your server run at optimal speed, with minimal lag, and hopefully, max fun :D.
Important CVARS
Ok, CVARS are variables that can be changed in game temporarily, or can be changed and saved in a on your computer which gets loaded every time the server starts. A CVAR's setting is almost always a number, which sets the CVAR to do a specific task. That's probably the worst possible explanation, but that's that examples are for :D.
Ok, the CVAR
emp_sv_max_vehicles
sets the maximum number of vehicles a team can have. This CVAR is numerical based, so the default is
32.
That's a BIG number, because that means that if a griefer on each team spammed heavy tanks, there would be a total of 64 heavy tanks on the map. That is a lot of tanks. So unless you have a QX6950 Quad Core processor hosting your server, there's no way your server would have a chance. So, since I host on a 594 MHz processor, I set this to
12.
That's a reasonable amount of vehicles per team, and this can usually be associated with the number of max players on the server, I like 24 because that's 12 per team, and thats how many vehicles that team can have, so it works out nicely.
Next CVAR:
emp_sv_max_buildings
This is the max number of buildings per team, default is...
32
...which I find to be a relatively stable number. You don't want this too high as many buildings = CPU inhalation, but too small and you won't have a fun game with each team having only a VF and a armory. Maybe bring this down to 25 or so, but really no lower than that.
End?
There really isn't much to it at all, its all about finding a number that works good for you. Remember, if something is confusing, try changing the CVAR to 'extremes'. Like if you don't know what the "netvitdist" CVARS do, try setting them to 1, and see how the game reacts.
There are many other CVARS that can be toyed with, so go crazy and play with them! If you find out something not in the Wiki yet, SAY IT HERE!!!!. It takes 3 seconds to make an account, and you could be helping the community greatly. Who knows, if it's big enough, your name might be put somewhere important :D.
Have fun on your servers guys!